Nadir Shah

INTRODUCTORY n

between Russia and Turkey, Hostilities were, however, averted by the
efforts of Nepluiev, the able Russian Resident at Constantinople, who
allayed the fears of the Turks in some measure by repeated assurances
of Peter's pacific intentions in so far as the Porte was concerned. In
the spring of 1723, Turkey decided that it would be easier to prevent a
further Russian advance into Persia by invading that country herself
and so forestalling her rival, than it would by invading Russia. The Porte
therefore declared war on Tahmasp, and the Turkish 'ulama thereupon
issued strongly worded fafsoas enjoining the faithful to fight against the
heretical Persians. The Turks first attacked in the north-west; marching
through Georgia, they seized Tiflis in June. On learning of this invasion,
Tahmasp, acting on Avramov's advice,1 sent his chief minister, Isma'il
Beg by name, to Russia in order to negotiate a treaty of alliance. Whilst
the Persian envoy was on his way, the Russian general Matiushkin captured
Baku.2 Isma'il Beg nevertheless went on to Moscow and began the
negotiations. On the 23rd September, 1723, the treaty was signed;
Russia undertook to assist Tahmasp to pacify his country and to punish
the rebels, while Tahmasp, in return for this assistance, agreed to cede
to Russia the towns of Darband and Baku, with their adjoining districts,
and the three coastal provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Astarabad.
Lastly, each power was to regard as friends and enemies respectively the
friends and enemies of the other.8 Tahmasp, at the time when he dis-
patched Isma'il Beg to Russia, also sent an envoy to Constantinople.
The Porte informed this envoy that, as Darband and Baku had been seized
by the Russians and as Isfahan had been taken by the Afghans, it was
sending troops to occupy Tabriz and Erivan before these places could be
occupied by Persia's foes; if, it continued, Tahmasp would cede Georgia
and Adharbaijan to Turkey, the Sultan would recognise him as Shah and
give him military assistance.4 The Persian envoy, however, was not
• empowered to agree to such terms.

Meanwhile, the Russian capture of Baku had brought about another
serious crisis between Russia and Turkey, which became even graver
when the news reached Constantinople of the conclusion of the treaty
of the 23rd September. War was only averted by the active mediation
of the Marquis de Bonnac, the extremely capable French Ambassador
to the Porte, who used every endeavour to restrain the Turks on the one-
hand and Nepluiev on the other (it was at that time the policy of France
to prevent Turkey from embroiling herself with an important Power

1 Butkov, Vol. I, p. 41.

' Soloviev, Vol. XVIII, p. 50.

»La Mamye-Clairac, Vol. Ill, pp. 398 and 399.

* Von Hammer, Vol. XIV, p. 99.